-2017 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2017 Draft Kit
The Browns' D/ST ranked dead last in fantasy points and was limited to one top-10 week last season. Cleveland ranked 30th or worse in forced fumbles (six), fumble recoveries (three), sacks (26), tackles for loss (64), yards allowed (6,279) and points allowed (452). Jamie Collins was a huge 2016 in-season acquisition and he joins Danny Shelton and Christian Kirksey to form a solid trio in the front seven. Early-round pass rushers Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib are entering a pivotal second year after rough rookie campaigns. A lot will also be asked of 2017 first-round picks Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers. This unit is very young with many holes still to fill.
The Saints' D/ST ranked 30th in fantasy points last season, which is actually an improvement from 31st in 2014 and 2015. That's obviously not saying much. The Saints managed nine interceptions, recorded 30 sacks and allowed 6,006 yards. All were sixth worst in the league. They also allowed 454 points, which was second most. The Saints have a solid trio in Cameron Jordan, Kenny Vaccaro and Nick Fairley, but the health of Delvin Breaux and the contributions of youngsters Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell, Sheldon Rankins and Hau'oli Kikaha will decide this unit's fate in 2017.
San Francisco's unit has finished in the bottom two of the league in fantasy points each of the past two years. That's after four consecutive seasons a top-10 unit. The 49ers allowed a league-high 6,502 yards and 480 points last season. They ranked 19th or worse in interceptions (10), sacks (33) and tackles for loss (80), while failing to score a non-offensive touchdown. Trumaine Brock and Antoine Bethea are gone from the secondary, and the team's top free-agent addition was pedestrian LB Malcolm Smith. DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Jimmie Ward and first-round rookies Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster provide some upside, but especially with NaVorro Bowman recovering from a torn Achilles, this is a defense unlikely to take a big step forward in 2017.